WHO recommendations for the prevention and management of tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure in pregnancy
Année de publication: 2013
Exposure to tobacco smoke affects all stages of human reproduction. Tobacco smoking
affects both male and female fecundity. Maternal cigarette smoking is associated with
increased risks for ectopic pregnancy, premature rupture of membranes, abruptio placentae, placenta previa, miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm birth, low birth weight, small for
gestational age, and congenital anomalies such as cleft lip. After birth, the risk for sudden
infant death syndrome (SIDS) is increased among the offspring of women who smoked
during or after pregnancy. The harms of tobacco use in pregnancy are not limited to
smoked tobacco products only. Evidence suggests that infants born to women who use
smokeless tobacco in pregnancy have a higher risk of several adverse outcomes such as
stillbirth, preterm birth, and low birth weight. Additionally, maternal exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) in pregnancy has also been associated with a modest reduction in birth
weight, and can increase the risk of low birth weight (<2500 g) by 22%.
There are currently no up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines for identifying and managing
tobacco use and exposure to SHS in pregnancy in most of the low- and middle-income
countries. Most of the existing national guidelines are from high-income countries, and
although they provide advice on the management of cigarette smoking in pregnancy
(probably the most prevalent form of tobacco use in those countries), they do not address other forms of smoked tobacco or use of smokeless tobacco in pregnancy. Most
of these guidelines also do not discuss recommendations on avoiding exposure to SHS
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in pregnancy, although some have addressed the smoking status of partners and other
household members as a factor affecting pregnant women’s tobacco-cessation efforts
and quit attempts.